Health and Safety Considerations: Caring for Young Children with Exceptional Health Care Needs.

Presler, Betty

This manual on health and safety considerations in caring for young children with exceptional health care needs is a product of Project EXCEPTIONAL (EXceptional Children: Education in Preschool Techniques for Inclusion, Opportunity-building, Nurturing And Learning), which has the goal of increasing the quality and quantity of inclusive child care and development options for California's young children (birth to age 5) with disabilities through development of a training model and materials to support the training of interagency community teams. The manual's text focuses on 10 key points: (1) the increasing need by children with disabilities for child care services; (2) the moral and legal responsibility of child care providers to include children with exceptional needs; (3) the rewards, risks, and responsibility of servicing these children; (4) the vast diversity in health-related conditions and need for individualized accommodations; (5) inclusion as a national, state, and local priority; (6) barriers to inclusion; (7) critical elements of quality child care; (8) best practices; (9) characteristics of a health supportive environment; and (10) the need to ensure the health and safety of every child. Much of the document consists of 13 appendices, including a listing of national parent organizations; a recommended training curriculum; authorization forms; discussion of safety issues, emergency contact information, and incident reports; recommended procedures for nutrition and feeding, diapering, and hand washing; universal precautions; information on childhood diseases; health condition fact sheets and record forms; medication records; and training activities. (DB)